P&O Cruises says it will advise agents “as soon as possible” on whether charter airline Maleth Aero will continue to be used for some of its fly-cruises to the Caribbean next year.
The cruise line currently has a contract with Maleth Aero to supply charter aircraft for some direct flights from Gatwick and Manchester to Barbados and Antigua to take customers to Britannia and Arvia until March 23, 2024.
Agents said some clients were holding off booking fly-cruises for next year until they knew whether flights would be with the Maltese air carrier, which does not offer premium seating or inflight entertainment, unlike the line’s other airline partners.
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In a statement, P&O Cruises, which admitted in October there were “lessons to be learnt” in how it communicated with agents, said: “We are exploring options for the Caribbean 2024/2025 season as a priority and will advise agents and guests as soon as possible.”
Recent flight delays involving Maleth Aero have not helped matters according to Henbury Travel owner Richard Slater, who said: “Clients are holding fire until they know what the decision is on the flight. They have heard stories of recent significant delays and the lack of in-flight entertainment has raised questions.”
Slater said there was “no issue” with booking P&O Cruises’ fly-cruises, it was simply the flight element causing a problem.
“We have seen further growth of our P&O Cruises’ sales in 2023, up year on year by more than 1,000%, and it would be disappointing to see this,” he added.
He stressed it could be difficult to sell in the busy peaks period. “If we are in peaks and people want to book and we are saying we don’t know which airline is flying then people will say they’ll think about it until they know,” he said, noting that this applied to any holiday product. “People like to know which airline is getting them there.”
Travel consultant Malcolm Shearim, of Marken Travel, who had 16 clients originally booked with Maleth Aero, has yet to make any new bookings for fly-cruises using the airline.
He said: “I am happy to do so as long as my clients are made aware of the airline, but when I do make them aware it seems to put them off.”
He said the airline presented a particular issue for clients who wanted premium seating.
His first client to fly with Maleth Aero has now returned and was happy with the flight, citing lots of leg room and decent food and service, he said, but added: “The problem will be clients who want to travel in premium seats and are then told they don’t have premium seats and cannot cancel with a full refund.”
The Cruise Room director Robbie O’Grady said one customer had decided to hold off booking until they knew if they could get a Tui flight. Other clients who had booked with the airline had experienced a 10-hour delay on board.
Customers were reporting aircraft had “some wear and tear”, he said, adding that “some” guests were accepting the flight while others were “really put off by it”.
“We are certainly wary,” he admitted.